johnrosa

30th Apr 2008

Atonement (2007)

Question: After a fellow soldier throws his boots, Robbie walks ahead to retrieve them and discovers a large group of murdered children in, I presume, school or church uniforms. Is this moment based on a real historical event of WWII?

johnrosa

Chosen answer: Not as such. The only systematic massacre of civilians in the Dunkirk campaign was in the Flemish village of Vingkt, where the German 377th Infantry Regiment had fought a fierce battle against the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais. On 27/28 May 1940, the Germans took revenge on the civilian population and shot some 40 men and boys in the village, including eight elderly men who had sheltered in a convent's cellars. They argued that anyone found in a building the Chasseurs had used was liable for execution. The film exaggerates for dramatic effect - dead schoolboys are more poignant than dead old men - but there is a core of truth in the story.

29th Apr 2008

Atonement (2007)

Continuity mistake: When Cecilia and Robbie are having sex against the bookcase, a close-up reveals she slips her left foot out of her shoe. But when Briony walks into the room and the two lovers are shown motionless, we see Cecilia still has both shoes on. (00:36:30)

johnrosa

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.